Pop culture Q&A: Day-Lewis returns to the big screen

Q: It seems that whenever a fantastic movie like "Last of the Mohicans" is shown on TV, the concentration is on Madeleine Stowe. Please have some info and an update on Daniel Day-Lewis.

A: Day-Lewis was a very hot property when he made that 1992 film. Three years earlier, he had won an Oscar for his performance in "My Left Foot," and he followed "Mohicans" with Oscar-nominated roles in "In the Name of the Father" and "Gangs of New York," as well as winning several other awards for his work in "Gangs."

His film acting has been sporadic in recent years as he followed other interests. (For a time, he reportedly took up shoe cobbling.) But he is back on the big screen in "There Will Be Blood," a new film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It's already been making film-festival rounds and is due in theaters in December.

Q: I've just finished watching the movie "In Her Shoes." At the end, the younger sister, Cameron Diaz, reads a poem to her older sister at her wedding. It starts something like, "I carry your heart. I carry it in my heart." Can you tell me the title of the poem and who wrote it?

A: The poem is "i carry your heart with me," by E.E. Cummings (also written as e.e. cummings).

Q: Could you please tell me why Babe & Jamie are no longer on "All My Children," what are they doing and will they be back? By the way, the new Babe is a horrible replacement.

A: I think you're referring to the departures of Justin Bruening, who played Jamie Martin on the show, and his real-life wife Alexa Havins, who played Babe until she was succeeded in the role by Amanda Baker. Both Bruening and Havins reportedly decided not to renew their contracts with the show. Bruening left in July and Havins followed in October. Bruening recently appeared on "Cold Case." Havins is working on a movie comedy called "Old Dogs," with John Travolta and Robin Williams.

Q: What happened to Drew Carey's "Power of 10?" I believe there were four or five shows if that. I haven't heard any more about it.

A: The show was a late-summer schedule-filler (and an unofficial tryout for Carey as host of "The Price Is Right"). It did well enough that CBS has ordered six more episodes for telecast sometime later this season.

Q: I enjoy the classic films on the Turner Classic Movies channel, TCM. I especially like that there are no commercial interruptions. How are they able to do that?

A: Cable channels can make money several different ways. They can sell advertising, like commercial broadcast channels. But they also receive direct compensation from cable companies that carry them. (Some premium services, like HBO and Showtime, also charge subscribers a fee.) TCM is attractive to cable subscribers because of its ad-free showings of vintage films, and the money from cable services helps underwrite its operation. It also generates money through its online shop and through the fee it charges for subscriptions to its print program guide.

Q: I would appreciate it if you could inform me if there is still an original VHS or DVD movie of "Jesse James" with Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda.

A: The 1939 movie, starring Power as Jesse James and Fonda as brother Frank, has been released on VHS and DVD. You can get a new DVD of it for about $15. If your local DVD retailer does not have it or will not order it, try online retailers like Amazon.com.

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